In the room opposite the bunkhouse, the onion crop is laid out for curing. The windows are covered. An air conditioner and a de-humidifier keep the room cool and dry. The de-humidifier was set to keep the air moisture content at 35 percent. So far this is the best arrangement Jim and Robbins have come up with to cure onions. In the past they have tried to dry the onions in the field. But that didn't work. Last year they put the onions into an open greenhouse, which had been whitewashed. That was marginally successful. All told, organic field production of onions in the Midwest is a challenge. The difficulty lies in keeping them weed free while they are growing. Curing them once harvested is the next big hurdle. This year we still threw away about 2/5ths of all the onions because of neck rot.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Onion Storage
In the room opposite the bunkhouse, the onion crop is laid out for curing. The windows are covered. An air conditioner and a de-humidifier keep the room cool and dry. The de-humidifier was set to keep the air moisture content at 35 percent. So far this is the best arrangement Jim and Robbins have come up with to cure onions. In the past they have tried to dry the onions in the field. But that didn't work. Last year they put the onions into an open greenhouse, which had been whitewashed. That was marginally successful. All told, organic field production of onions in the Midwest is a challenge. The difficulty lies in keeping them weed free while they are growing. Curing them once harvested is the next big hurdle. This year we still threw away about 2/5ths of all the onions because of neck rot.
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